Men are buying condoms to put on before they get an erection and they supposedly make sex more pleasurable.
Companies are offering three-packs of “pre-erection” contraceptives for as little as £5.
Men can put on condoms up to two hours before having sex, to “avoid distractions” and help “forget about last-minute worries.”
One Colombian company that makes them even boasts that they make “lovemaking much easier (and more fun) because you don’t have to interrupt your intimacy with the mundane task of putting it on, because you already use it.”
The condom is placed over a flaccid penis that is stretched out, covering it like a sock. A ring at the bottom helps it stay in place before the man has an erection. Once aroused, the condom expands with the penis, to a maximum length of 18 cm (seven inches), a size similar to traditional ones sold by companies such as Durex.
One Colombia-based company that makes them even boasts that they make “lovemaking so much easier (and more fun) because you don’t have to interrupt your intimacy with the mundane task of putting it on, because you already wear it.”
The condom is placed over a flaccid penis that is stretched out, covering it like a sock.
A ring at the bottom helps it stay in place before the man has an erection.
Once aroused, the condom expands with the penis, to a maximum length of 18 cm (seven inches), a size similar to traditional ones sold by companies such as Durex.
They can be made from a material 10 times thinner than latex, which manufacturers insist is resistant to pressure, stretching and rubbing. They also say it’s more “comfortable” and feels “like a second skin when the material is warm.”
This, in theory, facilitates the transfer of body heat and arousal, according to Kamyra Condoms, which sells them.
However, previous research has found that thick condoms can “physically preserve and extend the time” of an erection.
But men who have bought condoms made by Kamyra say they now “can’t imagine sex without them.”
Meanwhile, an online review of the UNIQ smart condom said: “I would say that with this condom sex was even better than without it.”
One man, however, compared the wafer-thin material to cling film. Another wrote on a Dutch website that “it took time to learn to put it on comfortably.”
Others also complained that it was “hard to put on” and even “fell off” or ripped.
Jumbo packs of 72 are available on Amazon for around £86.
For comparison, a branded box of a dozen condoms in the UK costs around £10, meaning they are similarly priced.
The companies make no claims about the effectiveness of the contraceptive or why a two-hour limit is imposed.
Regular condoms, the NHS says, are 98 per cent perfect in use.
In addition to ease, companies claim they can overcome condom-related erectile dysfunction.
Dozens of men complain that this is one of the main reasons they don’t want to use them, even though they have been shown to protect against STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea.
A study from a Colombian university suggested that the product “did not interfere with the male arousal response.”
The essay, published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychologyfollowed 82 men between 18 and 30 years old.
Companies are offering three-packs of “pre-erection” contraceptives for as little as £5. In the photo, a Dutch website sells three for €6.50.
They can be made from a material 10 times thinner than latex, which manufacturers insist is resistant to pressure, stretching and rubbing. They also say it’s more “comfortable” and feels “like a second skin when the material is warm.” An online review of the UNIQ smart condom said: “I would say that with this condom the sex was even better than without it.”
Half used condoms before erection, and the rest stopped using contraceptives.
Everyone was asked to avoid having sex, drinking alcohol, using psychoactive substances, or viewing sexually explicit photos and videos 24 hours before the study.
During the session, each participant in the first group was asked to put on the condom before watching a sequence of videos (three “neutral” and three “erotic”), each approximately three minutes long.
The volunteers in the control group followed the same process.
At the beginning and end, participants were questioned about their erectile dysfunction and were given a score of 25 (according to the International Index of Erectile Function), with low scores indicating the most severe cases.
The researchers found no “statistical differences” in sexual arousal between the two groups, suggesting that the contraceptive was not to blame for the erection difficulties.
They also stated that the men did not report any side effects, but acknowledged the limitations of the small study size.